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Toddler’s seizures stopped after consuming cannabis oil, parents say

Two-year-old Kyla Williams hasn’t learned to walk or talk, her development has stopped as she suffered as many as 200 seizures daily and no medication helped. Now the girl’s family says she hasn’t had a seizure in a week, ever since they began giving her cannabis oil extracted from hemp.

The oil being used by the toddler has high amounts of cannabidiol, known as CBD, the main ingredient in medical marijuana, and almost no psychoactive ingredients. Its use is in a legal “grey area,” according to proponents.

Only dried marijuana is currently regulated by Health Canada, the sale of resin and oil by growers is forbidden. The hemp that the cannabis oil is being extracted from is supposed to be destroyed by farmers under federal regulations. However, few controls seem to govern the dispensary and parents providing the two-year-old with the oil.

Despite the lack of legal clarity, Kyla is continuing to use her unconventional medicine. On Sunday evening, she had been seizure-free for a week.